Encroachment of the ABC Girls on the Shibuya Psychic Research Office
by office plant
Summary: The unflappable CEO of Shibuya Psychic Research and his brave employees struggle to understand the sudden wave of strange girls entering their office in a myriad of ways.
1. To: Shibuya dot K At ShibuyaPR dot jp

Be warned. This is a dumb fic by an office plant. It probably belongs in a nearby trash can.

* * *

 **Encroachment of the ABC Girls on the Shibuya Psychic Research Office**

 **To: Shibuya dot K At** **ShibuyaPR dot jp**

An invasive bleep of his laptop speakers alerted Shibuya Kazuya, also known as "Naru", of a new email arrival.

He read:

 _Dear boss (?),_

 _I am once again terribly sorry, but I have to help a friend with homework today._

 _Possibly I will not make it to work._

 _Yours,_

 _Girlfriend_

 _PS Do not be alarmed. The friend is female._


	2. To: Taniyama dot M At ShibuyaPR dot jp

**To: Taniyama dot M At ShibuyaPR dot jp**

Naru frowned and hit the reply button. He typed as following:

 _Dear employee,_

 _This is absolutely no excuse for not showing up at work again this week. This means you'll have to make this up to me by overworking._

 _That said, why does your female friend need your help for her homework? Since when do people need_ your _help with homework? Are you actually considered to be intelligent among your peers?_

 _No offense intended,_

 _Your boss/boyfriend/whatever_

 _PS The office plant is wilting and requires water immediately._

Satisfied with his message, Naru hit the send button.


	3. To: Shibuya dot K At ShibuyaPR dot jp 2

**To: Shibuya dot K At ShibuyaPR dot jp (2)**

Not much later another annoying bleep obtruded his ears. Naru slightly grimaced at her reply.

 _Dear office plant,_

 _Once again I am terribly sorry. It seems that Lin-san and Yasuhara-san have not provided your usual necessities. Unfortunately, I cannot come to water you._

 _…_

 _Make your own damn tea, idiot._

 _Mai_


	4. RL: A-chan (1)

**RL: A-chan (1)**

Satisfied with her witty response, Mai logged out of the school computer and looked back at the new friend she had made. She was an ordinary girl like herself, and there was nothing unusual about her appearance and behaviour. However, her name was somewhat strange. According to the name list, her name in kanji was A子, which was pronounced as Eiko in Japanese, and meant 'Girl A' in English. Seeing as how close they got within such a short time, the girl started calling her Mai-chan, so Mai decided to go with the nickname "A-chan" for the girl. Mai and A-chan became good friends to the point that Keiko and Michiru warmly welcomed her into their circle of friends.

All went well until Mai realized that A-chan had been taking up most of her time. Her boss, who was also her boyfriend of three months, was less than pleased with her absence. As such their communication had been reduced to phone calls and eventually to nothing more than sarcastic emails. She felt unhappy about the situation. There was nothing to be done if A-chan needed help with her homework problems. A-chan needed it more than her excuse of a boyfriend who was too full of himself.

At least, that's what Mai thought in the beginning.

Lately, Mai had been terribly distracted from helping A-chan, by constantly thinking about Naru. His blue eyes, beautiful face and shiny black hair. His firm shoulders. The way he leaned down when he kissed her. That time when he unexpectedly knocked on the door of her home.

 _Stop!_

Mai shook her head. She needed to stop thinking about perverted things. Then again, she missed him and wondered whether he felt the same.

...

Nah, he was probably just pissed at her for not coming to work.


	5. RL: A-chan (2)

**RL: A-chan (2)**

However, Mai hadn't seen him for weeks and actually regretted helping A-chan so much. Currently, A-chan was reading a story in Classical Japanese which she had to translate to modern day Japanese, and she was clearly struggling with it. Both of them were in the last year of senior high school, but A-chan was not up to par with Mai in a lot of subjects. The only things she excelled in were P.E. and Geography. Frankly, Mai thought A-chan was kind of useless, even if she was a kind person.

No, stop thinking like that! She shook her head.

"Is there something wrong, Mai-chan?"

A-chan looked at her with her brown eyes and ordinary black hair. Sometimes it seemed like she knew Mai all too well. As if her eyes gazed through her entire being. People always said that she wore her heart on her sleeve, but... to her it felt like A-chan was able to look _inside her brain_. The more they spent time together, the more they knew about each other... No, it was rather A-chan who knew almost every single detail about Mai.

As usual, A-chan peered at her without blinking.

"Ah, there's nothing wrong!" Mai nervously smiled, "How's it going? Do you need help?"

"No, I was just wondering... You seemed bothered by something," she said, and then correctly guessed: "Is there somewhere you need to go to?"

Yes. The office. THE OFFICE.

Mai stared at the girl and mumbled. "Eh, yeah. Maybe. I need to go. Somewhere. I think?"

 _Like, I_ actually _have a part-time job (and a boss who happens to be my boyfriend)._

"Oh, didn't you have a part-time job? You told me about it," A-chan smiled suggestively.

 _What's with that smile._ Did A-chan have a thing for her? Or is it about...?

No. She hadn't told her anything about Naru in particular - she even kept it a secret from her other friends who were in full speculation mode.

"Well, yeah," Mai nodded uneasily.

"Why don't we go there together? You can do whatever you want there and I'll do my homework," A-chan said. "Unless it's at an arcade or somewhere noisy."


	6. RL: Boss

**RL: Boss**

An hour later they stood outside the blue grey door of Shibuya Psychic Research. Truthfully, Mai told her very little about what the job entailed. She expected some kind of reaction after A-chan asked what kind of business this was, however, the girl merely frowned. On the other hand Mai was glad that A-chan didn't laugh at her or made a joke out of it, but her (lack of) response was strangely unnerving. It seemed like she had expected it some way or another.

"Come on in," Mai said as she opened the door.

To her delight and horror, she found Naru standing perched against her desk with a phone in hand. It seemed like he was about to call someone. When he looked up, his eyes went wide at the sight of seeing the two girls in the door entrance. Lin was sitting with a laptop on the couch and looked equally alarmed.

"Uh, hi?" Mai said with a hesitant voice.

Naru slowly put the phone on the table and said: "...Who are you?"

Mai raised her eyebrow. This wasn't the greeting she had expected. Her boss wasn't normally this rude to new faces either.

She gestured at the girl next to her.

"This is... A-chan. The girl I help with homework?"

Naru didn't even look at A-chan, but only at Mai.

"Not her. Who are _you_?"

Mai groaned and suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

"Oh come on! I know you're angry, but you don't need to go as far as _denying_ my existence!" She hissed.

The next unexpected reaction came from Lin, who placed the laptop on the coffee table.

He got up from the couch and coolly said: "Examine her."

Mai blinked.

"HUH?!"

Naru paced towards Mai, who took a step back. He closely gazed at her from top to toe. Mai made a strangled noise at his uncomfortable stare.

Then he pinched her nose.


	7. RL: Copies in the data room

**RL: Copies in the data room**

"OW. What are you doing?!"

Mai's hands flew to her face to nurse her aching nose.

"You're Mai," Naru finally said with a tone of relief in his voice. "Just checking."

"Indeed, genius," Mai said. "And what do you mean by just checking?"

Naru ignored her.

Lin joined the conversation again.

"Then who is the girl doing the filing in the data room?" he queried. "She came in moments before you did."

Mai needed a moment to process that question.

"What? Which girl?"

Lin and Naru ignored her and went straight to the data room. The girls followed them after exchanging glances. Lin opened the door of the data room with a key.

They looked inside.

There _she_ was.

A spunky looking short girl with cropped brown hair was filing in the data room. She had her back to them, so Naru coughed to get her attention. The girl looked at the small crowd by the door with a blank face.

"Impossible!" Mai exclaimed. That girl looked exactly like her. Down to the details of her skirt!

"W-what's going on?"

Neither Lin or Naru replied. A-chan gasped and put her hand over her mouth.

"Who are you?" Naru said with a chilly voice.

The impossible girl smiled.

"My name is Clare," she said with a voice not unlike Mai's.

They all stared at "Clare".

"W-who are you and what are you here?" Mai demanded after regaining her composure.

"Well, wouldn't _you_ like to know?" She said.

The girl threw the file she had in her hand down. The once neatly filed papers scattered onto the floor. Clare sat down in a seat positioned by the small window and folded her leg. It was immediately obvious that she wasn't willing to share any more details.

"Tch, this is getting nasty," Naru said. "We need someone to help us. Lin, contact the others."


	8. Subject: Help, I need somebody

**Subject: Help, I need somebody**

 _Dear all_ _,_

 _I require urgent help. Please come to the office ASAP._

 _Lin Houjou_

* * *

From: Yasuhara dot O at ShibuyaPR dot jp

Subject: FWD: Help, I need somebody

 _Dear Lin and everyone else,_

 _Unfortunately, I can't come. I'm about to take an exam! Just so you know,_ _you didn't include the irregulars!_ _So I'_ _ll be forward_ _ing this to the_ _m._

 _Kind regards,_

 _Yasuhara Osamu_

* * *

From: aya at mikomiko dot jp

Subject: Re: FWD: Help, I need somebody

 _What's this? Lin_ _-san asking for our help? Ohohoho. I'll be there in a minute._

 _Ayako_

* * *

From: bassan at mntkoya dot jp

Subject: Re: FWD: Help, I need somebody

 _Hey Lin,_

 _Don't make it bad._

 _If you've got trouble, I wanna be your_ _ma~n!_

 _Remember, we can work it out._

 _Then you can start to_ _feel much better._

 _I've got a feeling this was a song request for a concert,_

 _but I should have known better._

 _I'll be on my way. It won't be long._

 _Takigawa_

* * *

From: john at toujouchurch dot jp

Subject: Re: Re: FWD: Help, I need somebody

 _Dear Lin-san,_

 _I'll try to be there ASAP._

 _And Takigawa-san, I think you're going overboard with those references..._

 _John_

* * *

From: bassan at mntkoya dot jp

Subject: Re: Re: Re: FWD: Help, I need somebody

 _Hey John,_

 _Let it be._

 _Takigawa_

 _PS you a fan too_ _?! We must chat up some time!_

* * *

From: hara dot masako at yureika dot jp

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: FWD: Help, I need somebody

 _I'm not sure what Takigawa-san is going on about, but I'll try to make time today._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Hara Masako_

* * *

From: lin dot h at ShibuyaPR dot jp

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: FWD: Help, I need somebody

 _Yasuhara-san: Thank you for forwarding the email. I forgot to do it in my haste. Good luck with your exam._

 _Matsuzaki-san: Much appreciated, but please refrain from making me sound like Naru._

 _Takigawa-san: It wasn't intentional. Also, if you must use those references, at least try to fit them to the song._

 _John-san: Your help is appreciated._

 _Hara-san: Thank you, and don't worry about it._

 _Lin_


	9. RL: Mysterious Mysteries

**RL: Mysterious Mysteries**

Lin closed his laptop and put it on the coffee table and stood to return where the others were. Before he reached the data room, he heard the door of the office opening. _That was fast. Were they in the neighbourhood?_ Lin turned his head, anticipating to see either Ayako or John, but neither were there. The doorway was empty.

Suddenly, he sensed a presence behind him. An unknown female voice reached his ears.

"Hello?"

Lin turned and could barely speak as he stared at the figure before him. He had never seen such a mysterious girl before (perhaps only topped by Mai's look-a-like currently restrained in the data room). He willed his mouth to open, but nothing came out.

"This is Shibuya Psychic Research, isn't it?" the mysterious girl said. "Can you help me? I need someone to help me out with this problem of mine."

"Yes. Hello. Yes, of course. Maybe we can," Lin suddenly blurted out. At the same time, he mentally noted that this was very strange string of sentences.

She gave a mysterious smile.

"It's a secret. Can you keep a secret?"

At that point Lin felt strangely compelled to call Naru from the data room. He had a sinking feeling that something was very wrong with this girl.

"Naru," he muttered, not finding any strength in his voice.

The girl cocked her head to the side in confusion.

Fear struck him.

"Naru!" He said, nearly shouting.

Lin felt his knees weaken. It was preposterous, but he couldn't handle the amount of mystery emitting from this girl anymore.

"Who are you and what are you doing to me?!" Lin exclaimed as he dropped to his knees.

The last thing he saw from her was that puzzling stare from her enigmatic eyes and the following words:

"My name is..."

Before she could ever reveal her identity, Lin fell over and passed out on the floor.


	10. RL: Breaking point

**RL: Breaking point**

Naru rushed back into the room. He was able to see a flash of a girl running out of the office. The door closed with a slam. After he blinked and looked down, he saw the unconscious man on the floor.

"Lin!"

Naru rushed to Lin and knelt down.

At that moment the door opened. Takigawa and Ayako had arrived and looked alarmed at the scene in the office.

"What happened to Lin-san?" The monk said, but Naru shrugged.

They also went to his side and crouched down. Ayako checked up on him.

"Is he okay?" The monk asked.

"What do you think?! Of course he isn't!" She snapped.

"Whoa, keep it down!" Takigawa said. "Then can you tell us what's going on?"

Ayako took another moment to analyse Lin's current state.

"An overdose of mystery," she said with a grave voice.

"What?" The men simultaneously said.

Ayako rolled her eyes.

"Do I need to repeat myself?! I know it sounds awfully ridiculous," she said, throwing her manicured hands up. "But believe me, okay?"

Of course, no one believed her.

Naru sighed.

"Did you see anyone leaving just now?"

The two looked at him as if he was making a big joke.

"Nope, no one at all."

Naru sighed. It looked like they wouldn't be able to solve this mystery at all.

Then they heard the sound of the door being opened.

"Hello?"

A girl peeked into the office, but going by her appearace she didn't seem the same one who caused Lin's sudden unconsciousness.

"Yes?" Naru said.

She slowly entered the office and held up a shawl. The mysterious shawl didn't belong to anyone in the office.

"Disclaimer," she said. "I do not own this."

The girl dropped the shawl to the floor.

"Um hey miss? Do you need help?" Takigawa said, but she did not respond.

Instead they all watched her going to Mai's desk. Takigawa was about to stand up and approach her, but Naru held an arm in front of him.

"Let her."

The girl picked up the vase with red flowers from the corner of the desk with both of her hands. Then she turned towards them.

"Disclaimer," she said again. "I do not own this."

The vase slipped out of her hands. The trio cringed visibly as the vase touched the floor and scattered into pieces.

"What the hell..." Ayako said.

Instead of cleaning up the mess she made, the girl moved her hand towards Naru's teacup on the desk. Looking somewhat alarmed, Naru lowered his arm.

"Bou-san, restrain her and take her to the data room. Now."

"Yes, sir."


	11. RL: Data Room Girls

**RL: Data Room Girls**

As Naru and Ayako stayed in the main office to take care of Lin, Takigawa stepped into the data room with the 'disclaimer' girl. His jaw dropped at what he saw.

Mai was interrogating a... look-a-like. Or was the look-a-like interviewing Mai? He needed a moment to analyze the situation before butting in.

"No, seriously. Who are you?" The interrogator said.

"I could be your twin?"

"That's sooo unoriginal."

"How about your clone?"

 _So the interrogator is the real Mai_ , Takigawa thought.

Mai looked up at the monk who came in together with another girl.

"Just how is this possible…?" Takigawa started, but Mai merely shrugged.

"Never mind her. Who's this?" She pointed at the 'disclaimer' girl.

Takigawa wasn't sure how to ignore the identical copy of Mai in the same room, but answered her anyway.

"Another troublemaker, it seems. She was about to destroy Naru's tea cup. Just call her D-chan."

"Oh great," Mai sighed, and looked at A-chan. Her friend seemed visibly distressed. "Are you okay? I'm sorry this happened. Our office usually isn't like this."

A-chan shook her head. "I know, Mai. I know."

She knew? Mai and Takigawa exchanged looks.

At that moment they received a group message on their phone. It was John.


	12. Subject: Apologies

**Subject: Apologies**

 _Dear all,_

 _Hara-san and I apologize for our absence. We were about to go up the escalator to the office, but a girl suddenly came forward and required our assistance. Hara-san is currently comforting her and I do not want to leave their side until the issue is resolved. So I was wondering if you still require any help on your side?_

 _See you soon._

 _John._

* * *

From: bassan at mntkoya dot jp

Subject: Re: Apologies

 _Hey John,_

 _We've got our hands full here. Could you wait outside for a moment?_

 _Thanks._

 _Takigawa_

* * *

From: john at toujouchurch dot jp

Subject: Re: Re: Apologies

 _Dear Takigawa,_

 _We will._

 _Oh, the girl says she wants to apologize to someone in the office…_

 _John_

* * *

From: Taniyama dot M at ShibuyaPR dot jp

Subject: Re: Re: Apologies

 _Hi John and Masako,_

 _Um, I think this might be connected to what's happening in the office right now…_

 _Could you bring her upstairs?_

 _Mai_

* * *

From: hara dot masako at yureika dot jp

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Apologies

 _I tried to convince her to do so, Mai. But she seems to be very ashamed of something._

 _What is happening in the office? Are you okay?_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Hara Masako_

* * *

From: Shibuya dot K At ShibuyaPR dot jp

Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Apologies

 _Hara-san, John,_

 _Take her into the office._

 _Now._


	13. RL: Bad Summary

**RL: Bad Summary**

Masako and John brought the girl into the office and joined the crew at the couches. Naru took the middle seat and overlooked the room. A-chan and the girl that wanted to apologize sat next to each other, and were guarded by Takigawa and Mai. The other girls – invaders were immobilized and locked up in the data room.

Lin was on the floor – still completely KO.

"To sum it all up for Hara-san and John, several girls have invaded our office. The first one has impersonated Mai, which leads me to believe that this peculiar event is somehow connected to her. After Mai and her friend arrived at the office, another girl attacked Lin. Her whereabouts are currently unknown. Soon after we found Lin, another girl came in and dropped the vase over there to disclaim our property." He gestured at the vase on the floor near the front. "Which brings us to Miss…?"

Everyone stared at the girl that Masako and John brought in.

"I'd like to apologize for my bad summary!" The girl cried out.

"Please do explain to us what this 'bad summary' entails," Naru demanded with a cold voice.

"Then I'll start." The girl lowered her head. _"It's been ten years since the SPR office closed after Oliver Davis left Japan having found the body of his dead twin."_

They frowned. So it was a Ghost Hunt fanfiction? How interesting.

Naru sighed. "I'm still here. I came back after two months."

" _But what if Mai is unable to control her PK powers?"_

Mai twitched her eyebrows. "Hey, I don't have PK powers!"

They all nodded. Mai was never confirmed to have PK abilities.

The 'bad summary' girl continued: _"What if she has to seek help from World's greatest psychic Oliver Davis who lives in London with his family?"_

Naru frowned. "Our family doesn't live in London."

"It could be an alternative universe." John kindly suggested.

"It's still wrong." Naru scratched the back of his head in annoyance.

" _However, Mai is pregnant with his child-"_

"She's what!" The monk yelled and stood up.

"It's just a summary, Bou-san!" Mai calmed him down, pulling his arm.

" _-and she already decided to raise her child alone."_

This time Mai got angry. "Why would I do that?! The child deserves to have a father!"

" _Because she's no longer the same happy girl as before. What if something happened?"_

Masako blinked. "Oh my."

Ayako yawned.

"Why do so many sentences start with 'what if'? So annoying."

" _After all, he had already rejected her and left Japan for many years."_

Naru dropped the folder on the table and folded his arms.

"…Someone needs to do the math here. Not to mention I didn't reject her."

"Yeah, how could it be his child if she's pregnant just now?" Takigawa said.

" _He suddenly comes back to Japan after ten years. Mai has become a beautiful woman and Oliver Davis falls head over heels with her again."_

Naru coldly said: "She'll never be more beautiful than me."

"Hey!"

" _He finds out about her pregnancy, but she has another secret!"_

Masako leaned forward. "What is it?"

" _She's actually carrying twins!"_

They all rolled her eyes. How cliché.

" _Then suddenly she is possessed by the ghost of his late twin brother who has gone haywire."_

Naru heaved a sigh. "Oh great."

" _Mai disappears mysteriously and he goes to look for her."_

Takigawa yawned. "Hey B-chan. Do we actually get to play a role in this?"

Ayako huffed. "It's all about Naru and Mai! I'm important too!"

"A side role would be nice." John added.

'B-chan' continued. _"He finds her, but she has amnesia! Will he help Mai recover her memories? Will she ever be the same happy girl again as before? What if she doesn't survive her pregnancy? What if she loses her life? What if one of the babies is possessed by his haywire twin? How will Oliver Davis put an end to this madne –"_

"Just stop." Naru held up a hand. "I believe we've heard enough."

"This isn't a summary anymore." Masako sighed. "I feel like you spoiled almost the entire story."

"Seriously. Why are all these bad things happening to me?" Mai frowned.

B-chan merely nodded and said: "I apologize for the bad summary."

They took a moment to process everything.

Naru was the first to speak up. "The culprit is quite obvious in this case."

Mai looked at him.

"Who is it?"

He pointed at the girl beside her.

"It's clearly your friend, A-chan."


	14. RL: Sunk

**RL: Sunk**

Mai stood up defiantly.

"What? You are blaming A-chan for this?"

"I do believe your friend A-chan is connected to this. She stalked you and gathered the girls in the office. We have to exorcise her; otherwise Lin will die from…." Naru looked at the priestess.

"An overdose of mystery," Ayako said as she examined her nails.

"Thank you, Matsuzaki-san," he dryly said.

Mai raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sure if what A-chan did could be called stalking, but now that she thought about it… she shook her head. No!

"You're the one to talk! You don't even know her!" Mai protested. "She does not have any bad will. I swear!"

Naru sighed. "You probably know that she took all of your time in the past weeks. Due to her interventions you hardly came to the office. This isn't normal."

Mai raised an eyebrow.

"So you're just jealous I was spending time with her?"

"I wouldn't say that," Naru replied. "But I do reserve the right to say something as your boss… and boyfriend."

Mai twitched her eyes.

"It's still not A-chan's fault that these girls invaded in the office."

"No, I don't think so, Mai."

Mai raised a fist.

"Why you…. If you don't believe me…" she paused. "I'll break up with you!"

Everyone in the room gasped.

Naru frowned.

"Mai, you're not blackmailing me, aren't you?"

Mai gulped. She hadn't meant to put it that way.

"Uh…"

He continued with a cold gaze, "This is not how I engage with people."

"Wait… I didn't mean it."

"I stand by my earlier conviction," Naru said.

"Ack."

"Lin's life or our break-up?"

Mai couldn't believe this was happening.

"I still don't believe she has bad intentions…"

She inwardly apologized to Lin on the floor.

"Well then," Naru pinched the bridge of his nose. "I suppose it ends here."

At that very moment a loud voice shouted in the middle of the room.

"Noooo!"

All gazes turned to the girl next to B-chan.

A-chan dramatically dropped her knees to the floor and wailed: "I sunk my own ship!"

"Wh-what ship!" Ayako exclaimed.

"SS NaruMai. Arguably the most popular relationship in the Ghost Hunt fandom," B-chan said, patting A-chan's shoulder.

Naru sighed.

"Are you going to tell us what this is all about?'

A-chan slowly nodded.

"…Alright."

Mai blinked. "Huh?!"

"I'm sorry, Mai. All of this is my doing…." A-chan admitted, and looked up at Naru. "I'd like to apologize for my bad fic. …I wrote fics, because I wanted people to R&R…. so I didn't bother with the quality."

"What's R&R?" The monk asked B-chan.

"Read and review." The girl explained, sniffing a little. "Receiving reviews is particularly addictive!"

A-chan continued, "I wrote Naru and Mai together, but then I realized how OOC they were!"

"Out of character," B-chan supplied once again.

"That's why… that's why I tried to get close to Mai!" The girl blurted out. "I wanted to have a tight grasp on her character, so that's why I tried to study her as much as possible!"

Mai dropped her jaw. Out of all explanations she didn't expect this one.

"Um, …okay?"

This sounded a lot like stalking if she had to be honest.

"What did I say, Mai." Naru said with a bored voice.

"Sh-shut up."

"Then it seems to be connected to the other girls after all," John said.

A-chan nodded. "Yes, all of those were bad habits of mine, but…"

"The ghosts of her past are still haunting her," Masako finished.

But then the door suddenly opened.


	15. RL: The End

**RL: The End**

"Hello, does anyone need my help- Oh my, what happened to Lin-san?"

Yasuhara stood wide-eyed in the doorway.

"Yasuhara-san!" Mai exclaimed.

"Never mind him," Naru said. "Who's the girl behind you?"

Yasuhara blinked and looked at the mysterious girl behind him.

"Oh, she's just that- a mysterious girl."

Ayako frowned. "But you don't seem mystified by her?"

"Is that what happened to Lin-san? ...Oh do not worry, I think she used up all of her mystery on him." Yasuhara cheerfully said. "Should I bring her in?"

Naru nodded. "Gather all the girls in here while we're at it. Bou-san, Mai."

Takigawa and Mai stood up and headed over to the data room.

Then he looked at John.

"John, could you perform an exorcism on A-chan?"

"Sure."

After they brought the other girls in, John exorcised A-chan. The "ghosts" left without resisting.

A-chan had her eyes closed and was mumbling something.

Mai leaned in closer to hear her.

"I see something," she whispered.

"What?"

"Enlightenment."

Mai raised an eyebrow.

"Enlighte-"

Suddenly, A-chan's eyes went wide open.

She stood up from her chair and shouted: "Now I see all of my mistakes! Take this fic for example. The first three chapters are too short! I mean, all of the chapters are _too_ short. I could have dumped it all in one document and put it on the site, but NO, I wanted to make the wait excruciatingly long for my readers!"

Everyone was too baffled to say something so A-chan continued her passionate rant.

"In any case, the title of this fic is too long and descriptive. Wouldn't it have been better to use a shorter title so that my readers would remember it? And the summary is just oh so bad. It's awful. I'm describing you people as valiant warriors whose castle is invaded by strange-"

Takigawa held up his hands. "Whoa, this is way too meta for me."

She ignored the monk.

"I mean, look at the reviews! I only have a handful. And in my last update I got a review from an anonymous person that said: "THIS IS SO STUPID".

"Shh shh, calm down," Mai said, tuning out A-chan's rant. She placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Everything's fine now."

"You can hardly call that a constructive review," Naru said.

Masako nodded.

"It's best to ignore it. Like the entertainment business, fanfiction is rife with flames such as these."

"But- but I failed. On top of writing a bad fic, I sunk my own ship. How can I move on from this?"

A-chan looked up at Mai.

Mai briefly stared at Naru who nodded.

"Well," Mai said with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. "That's simple. Just write another fic!"

* * *

After this internal office struggle, Lin woke up. Apparently the encounter with the mysterious girl had disturbed him to the point he chose to believe it was a dream.

The very next day Mai heard that A-chan had transferred out of school. She felt a little sad about it, but it couldn't be helped. Without A-chan around, she naturally resumed to commuting to work.

As for her relationship with Naru… Well, only time could tell. It was up to A-chan to fix her mistake.

"Mai, tea."

Mai sighed and went to the kitchen.

She finally watered the forgotten office plant inside Naru's room.

And so, Shibuya Psychic Research returned to peace at last.

 **THE END**


End file.
